Midseason Flowering Cherry Trees for Your Garden
Japanese Flowering Cherries, Sakura, Cherry Blossom
Among the most popular and spectacular spring-flowering trees, flowering cherries with their frothy masses of pink or white blossoms usually signal the end of winter and reveal the first blush of spring.
Most cherry tree varieties bloom in spring over a season that usually lasts several weeks. However, changes in weather conditions may have an impact on the time of flowering, advancing or delaying the appearance of the beloved cherry blossoms by several weeks. Generally, the milder the climate, the earlier the blossoms open.
Not all cherry trees bloom at the same time. There are early bloomers (mid-to-late March), midseason bloomers (late March to mid-April), and late bloomers (mid-to-late April).
Here is a list of pretty cherry trees for midseason color in your spring garden. Most make good ornamental trees for smaller gardens thanks to their modest size.
Midseason Flowering Cherry Trees for Your Garden
Prunus 'Amanogawa' (Japanese Flowering Cherry)
Ideal for small gardens, award-winning Prunus 'Amanogawa' is a small, narrowly columnar deciduous tree boasting profuse, semi-double pale pink flowers hugging closely the erect branches in mid to late spring. Sweetly fragrant, the cherry blossoms stand upright at the side of the branches. Opening from pink buds, the large saucer-shaped blooms, almost 2 in. across (4.5 cm), count up to 6-15 petals. They fade to almost white as they mature and display a purplish pink heart just before shedding. Emerging bronze-green, the leaves turn to mid-green before turning red and orange in fall. Healthy, hardy, and easily propagated, it is a popular tree for very small gardens.
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My CollectionHardiness | 6 - 8 |
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Height | 20' - 25' (6m - 7.5m) |
Spread | 4' - 8' (120cm - 240cm) |
Prunus 'Asano' (Japanese Flowering Cherry)
Worthy of a place in a small garden, Prunus 'Asano' is a beautiful chrysanthemum-flowered variety of cherry trees. Its abundant deep pink blossoms are small but packed with up to 100 narrow petals (!), giving them the look of a powder puff. Held in clusters, they create a terrific floral display in mid to late spring. Bronze as they emerge, the serrate, lanceolate leaves mature to dark green in summer, forming a dense canopy casting shade below. A graceful ornamental tree with an upright, columnar habit and ascending branches.
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My CollectionHardiness | 6 - 8 |
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Height | 15' - 20' (4.5m - 6m) |
Spread | 15' - 20' (4.5m - 6m) |
Prunus 'Ichiyo' (Japanese Flowering Cherry)
With flowers resembling a ballerina's petticoat, award-winning Prunus 'Ichiyo' is a small deciduous tree of spreading habit, with gracefully ascending main branches. Opening from pink buds, profuse double, shell pink flowers appear in mid to late spring. Held in pendulous long-stalked clusters of 3-4 flowers, they fade to almost white as they age. The blooms are quite large, up to 2 in. across (5 cm), and they count up to 16-22 petals, nicely arranged around an open heart. Emerging pale bronze-green, the leaves turn deep green in summer to create a fresh canopy and turn orange and red in fall. A healthy, rather late Flowering Cherry that makes a wonderfully spreading tree and is perfect for large gardens.
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My CollectionHardiness | 5 - 8 |
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Height | 15' - 20' (4.5m - 6m) |
Spread | 15' - 20' (4.5m - 6m) |
Prunus 'Kanzan' (Japanese Flowering Cherry)
Regarded as one of the most ornamental of the flowering cherries, Prunus 'Kanzan' is a striking deciduous tree with several seasons of interest. In spring, it produces an amazing profusion of rich pink double flowers, 2.5 in. wide (6 cm), held in pendant clusters. They appear before the leaves unfold. Each blossom is packed with 20-30 petals. Since 'Kanzan' is sterile, they will not be followed by fruit. Reddish-copper as they emerge, the serrate, ovate leaves mature to dark green in summer, forming a dense canopy casting shade below. In fall, they turn various shades of orange and bronze before dropping. A graceful ornamental tree with an upright, vase-shaped habit, which can be planted in containers, along walks and streets, and also be used as a bonsai specimen.
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My CollectionHardiness | 5 - 9 |
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Height | 25' - 30' (7.5m - 9m) |
Spread | 25' - 30' (7.5m - 9m) |
Prunus 'Kiku-Shidare-Zakura' (Japanese Flowering Cherry)
A favorite of many gardens, Prunus 'Kiku-Shidare-Zakura' is a small deciduous tree with gracefully arching branches, smothered with charming, fully double, rich pink flowers in mid to late spring. The abundant blossoms, 1.5 in. across (3.5 cm), are packed with up to 125 elliptic petals (!), giving them the look of a powder puff. Held in clusters or 3-5 blossoms along the bare pendulous branches, they create a terrific floral display. Bronze as they emerge, the serrate leaves mature to bright green in summer, forming a dense canopy casting shade below. As the leaves fall, they reveal the shiny, peeling coppery bark of the trunk, adding winter interest to the landscape. A miniature chrysanthemum-flowered variety of cherry tree that is splendid as a lawn specimen.
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My CollectionHardiness | 4 - 9 |
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Height | 10' - 15' (3m - 4.5m) |
Spread | 10' - 15' (3m - 4.5m) |
Prunus 'Shirotae' (Japanese Flowering Cherry)
Ideal for small gardens, award-winning Prunus 'Shirotae' is a small deciduous tree with a remarkable spreading flat crown and slightly arching branches. In mid to late spring, it gets covered with abundant and beautiful, pure white, semi-double flowers, which are among the largest of the flowering cherries. Resembling rambling roses, the cup-shaped blossoms, 2 in. across (5 cm), count up to 5-11 petals, some with a faint pink tinge which fades to pure white as the blooms open. They exude a pleasant almond fragrance and contrast nicely with the foliage of pale green young leaves. As the season progresses, the ovate leaves turn dark green by summer before turning red and orange shades in the fall. Healthy, vigorous, and remarkably shaped with its branches gracefully dipping close to the ground, 'Shirotae' is one of the most gorgeous white-flowering cherries.
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My CollectionHardiness | 6 - 8 |
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Height | 15' - 20' (4.5m - 6m) |
Spread | 15' - 25' (4.5m - 7.5m) |
Prunus 'Tai-Haku' (Japanese Flowering Cherry)
An ancient Japanese tree, award-winning Prunus 'Tai-Haku' is a medium-sized deciduous tree of broad spreading habit, with cherry blossoms of exceptional size and beauty. Opening from pink buds, remarkably large, single, pure white flowers, 2-2.5 in. across (5-6 cm), appear all along the branches in mid to late spring. Held in profuse clusters of 3-4 flowers, the blooms feature 5 petals which gradually expand to a flat plane. The flowers emerge at the same time as the deep bronze-red leaves, which create a perfect foil to the glowing blossoms. As the season progresses, the serrated leaves turn mid-green before turning orange and gold in fall. A splendid Flowering Cherry which adds drama to the landscape as a single specimen or in avenue plantings.
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My CollectionHardiness | 5 - 8 |
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Height | 15' - 20' (4.5m - 6m) |
Spread | 15' - 20' (4.5m - 6m) |
Prunus 'Umineko' (Japanese Flowering Cherry)
Prunus 'Umineko' is a small, upright deciduous tree boasting profuse, single, pure white flowers, 1.5 in. across (4 cm), hugging closely the branches in mid-spring. The flowers have large petals and showy pink stamens which become more conspicuous as the flowers age. Emerging pale green during the flowering, the leaves turn dark green before turning brilliant red and orange in fall. A compact and attractive spring flowering small tree that is tolerant of urban pollution.
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My CollectionHardiness | 6 - 8 |
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Height | 25' - 30' (7.5m - 9m) |
Spread | 10' - 12' (3m - 3.6m) |
Prunus pendula 'Pendula Plena Rosea' (Double Weeping Cherry)
With some of the deepest pink flowers of the weeping cherries, Prunus pendula 'Pendula Plena Rosea' is a very pretty deciduous tree forming a broad crown of long, gracefully weeping branches. Deep, dark pink in buds, the small, double flowers open almost flat in paler pink shades. Blooming in great abundance in mid-spring before the leaves emerge, they boast a red calyx and 10-20 delicately twisted petals. Held in drooping clusters of 3-4 blooms, their floral display lasts a week or so longer than most other flowering cherries. As the flowers wane, ovate, bronze-green leaves emerge to create a fresh summer canopy.
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My CollectionHardiness | 5 - 8 |
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Height | 15' - 25' (4.5m - 7.5m) |
Spread | 15' - 25' (4.5m - 7.5m) |
Prunus pendula f. ascendens 'Rosea' (Weeping Cherry)
A long-lived ornamental cherry, award-winning Prunus pendula f. ascendens 'Rosea' is a small deciduous tree, with a spreading to slightly erect form, becoming somewhat umbrella-shaped with age. Opening from red buds, an abundance of small, single, shell-pink flowers appear in mid-spring before the leaves emerge. Held in clusters of 3-5 blooms, the cherry blossoms fade to almost white towards the end of the flowering. This ornamental cherry tree lives to a long age. Some specimens are reported to be three to four hundred years old.
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My CollectionHardiness | 6 - 8 |
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Height | 15' - 25' (4.5m - 7.5m) |
Spread | 15' - 25' (4.5m - 7.5m) |
Prunus x yedoensis 'Akebono' (Yoshino Cherry)
A popular American flowering cherry, Prunus x yedoensis 'Akebono' (Yoshino Cherry) is a small deciduous tree boasting masses of large, soft pink, semi-double flowers along its bare branches in mid-spring. The slightly fragrant flowers gradually fade to white as they open fully, adding beauty to the incredibly showy canopy of blooms. The spring and summer foliage of glossy, dark green leaves turns golden yellow with orange highlights in the fall, before shedding to the ground. As the leaves fall, they reveal the beautiful bark marked with prominent lenticels. 'Akebono' features an upright habit when young, but becomes more spreading with age, making it ideal for planting along walks and over patios.
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My CollectionHardiness | 5 - 8 |
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Height | 25' - 35' (7.5m - 10.5m) |
Spread | 25' - 40' (7.5m - 12m) |
You may want to review these useful guides
Early Season Flowering Cherry Trees for Your Garden
Here is a list of pretty cherry trees for early color in your spring garden. In the last two weeks of March, they will surely wipe away those memories of our most recent winter
Late Season Flowering Cherry Trees for Your Garden
Here is a list of pretty cherry trees for late season color (late March to mid April) in your spring garden. They will make a wonderful addition to your garden and be one of your spring delights with their clouds of blossom.
Favorite Weeping Cherry Trees for Your Garden
Weeping cherry trees make a terrific focal point in the landscape, with their black limbs holding up an umbrella-shaped crown of flowers. Easy to grow, they rarely need pruning. Just give them some sun and a well-drained soil and you will be rewarded with infinite beauty in your garden.
Flowering Cherry Trees with Attractive Fall Colors
Ornamental cherry trees are typically planted for the majestic yet delicate beauty of their flowers. However, many varieties are noted for their multi-season interest. Some display wonderful fall colors, with their foliage turning brilliant shades of gold, red, or orange. Others enjoy a graceful shape that commands attention with their cascading branches creating an umbrella that everyone would want to stand under.
Fragrant Flowering Cherry Trees for Your Garden
Many Japanese flowering cherries are fragrant and exude a pleasing scent of crushed almond. Prunus 'Amanogawa' is reported by some as having a freesia fragrance. However, on cold and rainy days, their fragrance is barely perceptible, except for strongly scented cherries such as 'Amanogawa' or 'Jo-nioi'.
Pretty Flowering Cherry Trees for Your Garden
Although flowering cherry trees are typically planted for the majestic yet delicate beauty of their flowers, many varieties are noted for their multi-season interest.
Which Flowering Cherry Tree for my Garden?
According to the Flower Association of Japan, there are over three hundred species, varieties, and hybrids of Japanese flowering cherries. These flowering cherries come in a wide variety of sizes and shapes and several are excellent additions to the garden. All are incredibly beautiful.
Growing Flowering Cherries
Flowering cherry trees do well in most gardens and their care requirements are minimal. There are a few things to bear in mind though before purchasing flowering cherry tree:
- Flowering cherries require full sun and good air circulation. Therefore it is important to plant your tree in a spot that is not too shady or crowded. Make sure the mature height and spread of the tree you wish to purchase will fit your intended area.
- Flowering cherries require a moist, relatively fertile, well-drained soil. Easy to grow, they are not fussy, although they dislike poorly drained soil and will not tolerate boggy conditions. They should be watered thoroughly after planting and until the tree is well-established.
- Flowering cherries grow best if left alone so it is best to avoid pruning aside from removing dead, diseased or damaged growth. If you need to shape your tree, do so after flowering in early summer, because there are fewer diseases then and you won't remove the flower buds.
- Flowering cherries are susceptible to insect and fungal disease problems. Regular pruning to thin out branches and allow for better air and light circulation will help keep your tree healthy. Watch for caterpillars, leaf-mining moths, bullfinches, silver leaf, bacterial canker and blossom wilt.
- The best time to plant is in early spring, after the danger of frost has past, or in early fall, allowing plenty of time for roots to establish before the first freeze.
- Apply a layer of mulch around the trees after planting.
Guide Information
Plant Type | Trees |
---|---|
Plant Family | Prunus - Flowering Trees |
Exposure | Full Sun |
Season of Interest |
Spring (Early,Mid) |
Water Needs | Average |
Maintenance | Low |
Soil Type | Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand |
Soil pH | Acid, Alkaline, Neutral |
Soil Drainage | Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained |
Attracts | Birds, Butterflies |
Landscaping Ideas | Beds and Borders |
Garden Styles | City and Courtyard, Informal and Cottage, Japanese Garden, Traditional Garden |
rockthestock / 123RF Stock Photo
While every effort has been made to describe these plants accurately, please keep in mind that height, bloom time, and color may differ in various climates. The description of these plants has been written based on numerous outside resources.
Guide Information
Plant Type | Trees |
---|---|
Plant Family | Prunus - Flowering Trees |
Exposure | Full Sun |
Season of Interest |
Spring (Early,Mid) |
Water Needs | Average |
Maintenance | Low |
Soil Type | Chalk, Clay, Loam, Sand |
Soil pH | Acid, Alkaline, Neutral |
Soil Drainage | Moist but Well-Drained, Well-Drained |
Attracts | Birds, Butterflies |
Landscaping Ideas | Beds and Borders |
Garden Styles | City and Courtyard, Informal and Cottage, Japanese Garden, Traditional Garden |
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